Q: “Congratulations on your decision to play at Samford! Can you tell us about your recruiting process to provide some insight for our younger players?”A. Thank you so much! To begin, I started playing volleyball when I was in 6th grade. I always tried to attend as many Northwestern volleyball games as possible because I loved watching the high intense volleyball games. I always looked up to those college volleyball players and wanted to be like them. My 12’s coach was a volleyball player at Northwestern while coaching our team and she would always tell us about what it’s like to play college volleyball. My cousin also played D1 volleyball, and would tell me about how great the experience was.
Ever since I started playing volleyball, I always had the thought of playing college volleyball in the back of my head, but freshman year was when I decided for real that I wanted to play in college. In the middle of freshman year, I started my recruiting process. I would send out information about myself, tournament schedules, and highlight videos to different college coaches. My freshman year, I kept my options pretty open; however, my sophomore year, I narrowed down the list to only schools I was really interested in. Sophomore year was when my recruiting process really picked up. I started to receive many emails from different coaches, and I did a few college visits. I did deep research on different schools, and tried to find ones that would really fit me. In the middle of my sophomore year, I learned about Samford, and knew it would be the perfect fit for me. I visited the school right before AAU’s and I absolutely fell in love with it! The academics, the volleyball program, the coaches, the campus, and the environment all felt so right to me. I kept in contact with the coaches for a few months, then I decided to commit to Samford on September 14th!

Q: "How has Wildcat Jrs. prepared or helped you through the college recruiting process?”A: Wildcat Juniors has prepared me, and helped me SO MUCH through the college recruiting process. My coaches would talk to us about what to expect during recruiting and helped us step by step. They would always check on how the process is going and would do anything to help you. The coaches are more than willing to communicate information between you and other college coaches. I would never be the volleyball player I am today without this club. They push you to do your best and challenge you physically and mentally at every practice. All the coaches are there to help you, not only to become a better volleyball player, but also a better person. They all know what it’s like to go through the recruiting process because they have all gone through it themselves, and they know exactly what needs to be done. Wildcat Juniors has helped me immensely throughout the recruiting process and I can’t thank them enough!

Q. "Is there is any advice you would give our younger Wildcat Jrs. players that want to pursue playing volleyball in college?”A. I would suggest to start early. Starting the recruiting process early is always a good idea. It allows you to look into colleges you’re interested in and exposes you to coaches early in your volleyball career. It allows you to take time looking into different schools, visiting them, attending their camps, and comparing them. If you start early, you’ll have time to find a school that really fits what you are looking for. Don't give up during the recruiting process. Even though you might get frustrated, keep sending those emails and keep working hard. Although one school may not work out for you, keep searching because there is always another school that’s perfect for you. Also, before committing to a school, make sure you absolutely believe that the school is a perfect fit for you. For example, if you get injured during the college season and are not able to play for the rest of the year, would you still want to go to that school? The answer should be yes. You should love the school, not only because of the volleyball variable, but because you actually love the school itself. To conclude, even though the recruiting process may be frustrating and long, keep pushing through and don’t forget to have fun!